THE 


ELLSWORTH  &  PACIFIC 


RA ILROAD. 


SOME  FACTS  AND  INFORMATION  AS  TO  THE 

OF  THE 

Ellsworth.  &  ^Pacific  Railroad, 

AND  THE 

COUNTRY  THROUGH  WHICH  IT  WOULD  PASS  ; 

TOGETHER 

WITH  A  REVIEW  OF  REPORTS  &  SURVEYS 


ROUTES 


MADE  OF  THE 

REGION  WEST  OF  KANSAS  ; 

ALSO, 


A  MEMORIAL  TO  THE  CONGRESS  OF  UNITED  STATES 
BY  THE  CITIZENS  OF  ELLSWORTH,  KANSAS,  IN 
RELATION  TO  A  CHANGE  OP  ROUTE  OF 
TIIE  UNION  PACIFIC  R.  R.,  E.  D. 


LEAVENWORTH: 

FRINTED  AT  THE  BULLETIN  OFFICE,  LEAVENWORTH,  ICS, 

p-im 


TO  THE  ZPTTBLIO. 


Office  of  the  Ellsworth  &  Pacific  Eailway  Co.,  | 
Ellsworth,  Kansas,  Jan.  26,  1868.  j 
In  presenting  our  claims  to  a  discerning  public,  we  do  so  in  view 
of  the  importance  of  bringing  distant  portions  of  our  extended 
country  into  close  proximity,  by  means  of  what  is  now  an  estab¬ 
lished  necessity — the  railway. 

We  refer  with  pride  to  the  opinions  and  facts  as  set  forth  in  our 
hastily  proposed  pamphlet ;  hoping  that  the  important  interests  of 
this  interesting  section  of  our  common  country  will  not  be  over¬ 
looked  by  Congress,  or  fail  to  receive  the  sympathy  and  support  of 
all  who  favor  the  development  of  our  extended  territories  in  all 
directions,  thereby  making  a  great,  united,  and  happy  people, 
which  in  no  way  can  be  so  well  promoted  as  by  bringing  far  dis¬ 
tant  localities  nearer  together,  by  the  proposed  means  as  above 
indicated. 


*2.53^3 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2017  with  funding  from 

University  of  Illinois  Urbana-Champaign  Alternates 


https://archive.org/details/ellsworthpacificOOunse 


THE  ELLSWORTH  AND  PACIFIC  RAIL  ROAD. 


5 


LETTER  From  the  ST.  LOUIS  DEMOCRAT. 


ELLSWORTH— CLIMATE— ON  RETRENCHING  POST  EX¬ 
PENSES— PROPRIETY  OF  ADHERING  TO  THE  SMOKY 
HILL  ROUTE— ZARAH— THE  INDIAN  PEACE. 


Ellsworth,  Kan.,  Nov.  18, 1867. 

Editors  Missouri  Democrat: 

I  write  from  our  new  and  enterprising  town,  which  has  not  yet 
a  place  or  name  on  the  map,  and  which  the  press  has  hardly  men¬ 
tioned  except  to  condemn  its  too  many  vices,  which,  in  justice  to 
our  citizens,  I  am  compelled  to  say  have  been  largely  exaggerated 
by  our  “  Bohemian  friends/’ 

We  are  now  enjoying  reasonable  quiet  and  prosperity,  with  the 
nucleus  for  the  largest  town  in  the  State  west  of  the  Missouri 
river,  which  fact  could  be  elucidated  had  I  time  and  you  the  room 
to  spare  in  your  crowded  columns. 

We  date  our  business  career  from  the  15th  of  July  last,  since 
which  over  $300,000  have  been  remitted  East  from  here  through 
the  express  companies,  and  at  least  $100,000  more  by  private  hands, 
in  shape  principally  of  quartermaster’s  drafts,  which  compose  a 
large  item  of  our  currency  from  the  various  military  posts  on  this 
frontier. 

Our  climate  excels  any  I  have  experienced.  As  I  write  to-day 
the  air  is  clear,  soft  and  balmy  as  June,  with  the  thermometer  at 
75°,  and  this  is  but  a  fair  sample  of  the  entire  season.  An  atmos¬ 
phere  dry  and  pure,  good  health  are  the  rule  and  not  the  exception. 

Allow  me  to  say  something  upon  your  article  of  the  15th  inst., 
headed  “  Retrenchment.”  Fully  agreeing  as  I  do  with  yourselves, 
and  General  Grant  (who  is  my  candidate  for  the  next  President)  in 
the  necessity  of  reducing  the  expenses,  not  only  at  our  Western 
military  posts,  but  in  every  department  of  the  government ;  fully 
agreeing  with  you  that  there  are  certain  posts  named  that  have 


6 


THE  ELLSWORTH  AND  PACIFIC  RAILROAD. 


become  miserably  useless  either  for  defense  or  supply,  there  are 
others  that  must  for  a  long  time  to  come  be  important  points  in 
carrying  forward  the  operations  of  the  government  with  the  In¬ 
dians,  who  are  not  a  myth,  but  a  gigantic  reality,  as  we  ought  by 
this  time  to  realize. 

Your  conclusions  are  sound,  as  far  as  relates  to  posts,  until  you 
reach  Harker,  wThen  I  desire  to  enter  my  protest,  and  ask  of  you, 
if  a  map  can  be  found  laying  down  correctly  the  posts  south  and 
west  of  it,  to  examine  the  same  as  to  the  importance  of  Harker  as 
a  great  receiving  and  distributing  point  for  Zarah,  Larned,  Dodge, 
Lyon,  Union,  and  many  other  posts  of  less  importance,  via,  the 
“  Santa  Fe  trail.”  These  must  continue,  or  a  portion  of  them,  for 
an  indefinite  period,  unless  the  Union  Pacific  Railway,  Eastern  Di¬ 
vision,  decide  to  strike  out  from  here  with  their  main  line  through 
Hew  Mexico  and  Arizona,  to  the  Pacific,  combining,  as  it  would, 
larger  accommodations  for  the  uses  of  the  government,  as  well  as 
opening  up  a  rich  mineral  and  agricultural  country,  free  from  ob¬ 
structions  by  snow,  with  a  good  supply  of  wood  and  water,  to¬ 
gether  with  coal  and  all  the  metals  known. 

It  behooves  Congress  before  granting  any  further  subsides  to  be 
well  informed  as  to  their  utility  in  developing  the  country,  and  at 
the  same  time  dispensing  its  favors  as  to  cheapen  its  own  transpor¬ 
tation,  and  develop  this  most  interesting  portion  of  our  acquired 
possessions.  Why  not  abandon  the  Smoky  Hill  route  from  this 
point  westward,  as  it  is  in  truth,  as  the  geographer  Morse  has  it, 
(i  the  Great  American  Desert,”  fit  only  for  the  range  of  the  buffa¬ 
loes  and  other  wild  animals,  and  entirely  unfitted  for  the  agricul¬ 
turist,  with  no  mineral  wealth ;  and  judging  from  the  strong  appeals 
made  by  nearly  all  the  chiefs  in  the  recent  councils,  the  favorite  hunt¬ 
ing  ground  of  the  Indians  ?  Why  not  take  up  the  rail  already  laid 
down  and  swing  it  round  toward  Santa  Fe  and  the  Pacific  ocean? 
Why  not  abandon  the  country  as  worthless  to  us,  as  it  really  is, 
but  valuable  to  the  Indian,  and  go  through  what  may  be  made  to 
us  an  Eldorado,  most  ^of  which  has  yet  to  be  explored  by  our 
go-ahead,  enterprising  people. 

I  can  readily  understand  that  objection  will  be  made  by  many  of 
our  Eastern  friends  to  the  change  proposed.  In  addition  to  what 
I  have  already  said,  let  me  ask,  in  all  candor,  can  our  government 
in  its  present  financial  condition  afford  to  construct  two  lines  of 
railway  to  Denver  when  one  will  meet  all  the  requirements  of  that 
country. 

A  few  words  as  to  Zarah,  of  which  you  speak  so  disparagingly. 
Look  at  the  map,  and  you  will  find  it  what  military  men  of  judg- 


THE  ELLSWORTH  AND  PACIFIC  RAIL  ROAD. 


7 


ment  and  exprerience  have  pronounced  it  to  be,  thestragetic  point 
of  an  entire  line  of  Posts  on  the  Arkansas ;  and  particularly  if,  as  is 
generally  believed,  those  treaties  only  last  until  “  grass  grows/’ 
this  becomes  the  key  to  the  whole  southern  Indian  country,  and  as 
such  should  be  strengthened  and  held  for  the  wise  purpose,  if  neces¬ 
sary  of  either  attack  or  defense.  Frontier. 


GENERAL  WRIGHT’S  SURVEY. 


IMPORTANT  DISCOVERY  OF  COAL. 


[From  the  Philadelphia  Press.] 

The  very  important  fact  is  now  clearly  ascertained  and  estab¬ 
lished,  that  mineral  coal  in  vast  and  perfectly  inexhaustible  quan¬ 
tities,  exist  along  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  from 
the  head  waters  of  the  Missouri  to  the  Rio  Grande,  and  beyond  it 
—from  Montana  to  the  western  border  of  New  Mexico. 

The  main  sources  of  mineral  fuel  on  this  line  are  two :  First, 
the  great  beds  of  tertiary  coal  which  occur  around  the  western 
end  of  the  Raton  Mountains  and  the  neighboring  foot  hills  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains  j  Second,  the  beds  of  early  cretaceous  coal  of 
the  Rio  Grande  valley. 

The  first  coal  basin  consists  of  an  immense  thickness  of  coarse 
sandstones,  first  manifesting  themselves  in  some  of  the  ravines  of 
the  Raton,  about  twenty  miles  east  of  Raton  Pass,  but  soon  be¬ 
coming  visible  on  the  flanks  of  the  mountain,  continuing  through 
the  pass,  and  to  an  unknown  distance  west  of  it.  This  formation 
lies  nearly  horizontally  against  the  base  of  the  Raton  and  Rocky 
Mountains,  extending  along  the  latter  from  the  Arkansas  river  at 
Canon  City  to  the  valley  of  the  Little  Cimarron  on  the  south.  In 
the  Raton  Pass  the  coal  beds,  which  are  quite  thin  in  the  Manco 
del  Burro  Pass,  begin  to  assume  importance.  About  six  miles  from 
Trinidad,  a  locality  on  the  side  bank  of  a  small  stream,  was  ex¬ 
amined,  and  sections  drawn,  which  exhibit  a  total  thickness  of 
about  five  feet  of  good  coal  separated  into  four  beds,  placed  near 
together. 

Other  beds  were  found  above  the  one  examined,  but  no  thorough 
exploration  of  them  could  be  made.  Near  the  top  of  the  pass  are 


8 


THE  ELLSWORTH  AND  PACIFIC  RAILROAD. 


also  beds  of  about  the  same  thickness,  but  near  the  southern  exit 
of  the  pass,  in  canons  connected  with  the  upper  waters  of  the 
Canadian,  here  called  Red  River,  these  beds  occur  in  still  greater 
magnitude,  being  eight  feet  thick.  All  these  are,  however,  of 
trifling  nature  compared  with  the  great  beds  found  in  the  canons 
of  the  Vermejo  valley,  which  showed  in  one  locality  ten  feet  of 
coal  in  two  beds,  separated  by  ten  inches  of  slate ;  the  same  strata 
were  found  on  the  other  side  of  the  canon  one  half  mile  distant, 
and  in  other  canons  several  miles  farther  west.  I  was  afterwards 
informed  by  Mr.  Maxwell,  the  owner  of  the  tract  upon  which 
these  valuable  mines  are  situated,  that  he  had  seen  the  same  or 
similar  beds  a  long  distance  above  the  point  to  which  we  traced 
them.  Further  south,  other  thinner  beds  were  seen  in  the  canons 
between  Yermejo  and  Maxwell’s,  of  the  thickness  of  three  or  four 
feet  of  good  coal.  Beyond  the  Ponejo,  near  Maxwell’s,  the  high 
table  lands  containing  the  coal  beds  disappear  entirely,  and  the  only 
sedimentary  rocks  in  view  are  the  early  cretaceous  and  sandstone, 
capped  in  places  with  middle  cretaneous  limestone.  The  thick  bed 
of  coal  which  is  profitably  mined  at  Canon  City,  was  not  visited, 
but  the  extension  of  the  high  table  land  of  tertiary  sandstone  in 
that  direction  could  be  plainly  seen  ;  it  is  therefore  probable  that 
if  the  future  necessities  of  the  region  require,  similar  beds  may  be 
found  north  of  the  Raton  to  those  that  are  known  south  of  it. 

The  Raton  Mountain  lies  partly  in  Colorado  and  partly  in  New 
Mexico.  The  37th  parallel  runs  directly  through  it.  It  is  on  the 
line  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railway,  E.  D,,  about  midway  between 
Pond  Creek  on  the  Smoky  Hill  River,  and  Albuquerque  on  the  Rio 
Grande.  It  is  a  broad  and  irregular  mass  of  volcanic  matter,  run¬ 
ning  mainly  from  northwest  to  southeast,  some  fifty  or  sixty  miles. 
Although  near  to,  it  does  not  properly  belong  to  the  Rocky  Moun¬ 
tain  system.  There  are  several  passes  through  it,  one  of  which, 
the  Trinchera,  is  suitable  for  a  railroad,  or  the  road  may  be  carried  , 
around  its  eastern  base.  The  Purgatorie  river  drains  the  northern 
slope  of  this  mountain,  and  flows  northeastwardly  to  the  Arkansas. 

The  Yermejo  and  Little  Cimmaron,  on  which  the  greatest  of 
these  coal  beds  are  found,  drain  the  eastern  portion  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains  south  of  the  Raton,  and  unite  in  the  Canadian  river,  the 
great  southern  branch  of  the  Arkansas. 

The  second  coal  basin  is  found  in  numerous  exposures  of  some¬ 
what  inclined  strata  of  early  cretaceous  age,  on  both  sides  of  the 
Rio  Grande.  The  beds  of  coal  are  from  five  to  five  and  a  half  feet 
thick,  excluding  the  contained  slates.  South  of  Santa  Fe,  near  the 
Placer  Mountain,  one  of  these  beds  has  been  overflowed  by  a  stream 


THE  ELLSWOTH  AND  PACIFIC  RAIL  ROAD. 


9 


of  gray  trachyte,  and  baked  into  an  anthracite,  presenting  all  the 
appearance  of  Pennsylvania  anthracite,  but  somewhat  less  dense. 

These  cretaceous  and  tertiary  coals  are  commonly  spoken  of  as 
bituminous.  They  are  not  so  in  reality,  not  softening  at  all  when 
burning,  and  showing  no  disposition  to  coke.  They  burn  easily, 
with  much  flame,  exhaling  a  peculiar  odor,  and  leaving  a  greater  or 
less  quantity  of  ash,  according  to  the  purity  of  the  specimen.  The 
ash  is  frequently  quite  light,  resembling  the  ashes  of  wood. 

By  slight  variations  in  the  form  of  the  furnaces  from  those 
used  in  the  Eastern  States,  these  coals  can  be  used  for  all  metal- 
lurgic  or  manufacturing  purposes.  In  fact,  coal  of  similar  age; 
and  frequently  of  far  inferior  quality,  is  extensively  used  in 
Germany. 

The  importance  of  these  beds  of  mineral  fuel  in  the  supply  of 
our  continental  railroads,  and  in  the  development  of  the  mineral 
wealth  of  The  interior  of  the  continent,  cannot  be  over  estimated. 
Without  them,  the  operating  of  a  railroad  would  be  almost,  if  not 
quite  impracticable.  With  them,  good  and  sufficient  supplies  of 
fuel  can  be  obtained  at  distances  which  will  divide  nearly  equally 
the  spaces  to  be  passed,  so  that  not  more  than  one  hundred  to 
one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  of  transportation  will  at  any  place  be 
required. 

Dr.  LeConte’s  remarks  were  illustrated  by  specimens  from  the 
different  coal  mines  mentioned.  He  also  stated  that  in  the  vicinity 
of  several  of  the  mines  he  examined,  valuable  deposits  of  iron  ore 
existed. 

One  of  the  beds  he  had  visited  was  vertical,  and  sixteen  feet 
thick.  Another,  horizontal  one,  was  eleven  feet  thick  of  good  solid 
coal. 

The  specimens  exhibited  by  Dr.  LeConte,  taken  from  heavier 
veins,  very  much  resembled  the  bituminous  coal  of  Western  Penn¬ 
sylvania,  being  compact,  black  and  lustrous.  But  they  are  very 
different,  and  were  formed  at  later  periods.  They  are  not  lignites, 
neither  are  they  bituminous.  When  first  ignited,  they  give  out  a 
clear,  bright  flame,  but  not  much  smoke.  They  do  not  melt  at  all, 
and  therefore  cannot  be  converted  into  coke  ;  and  when  the  vola¬ 
tile  matter  is  consumed  or  expelled,  the  remainder  continues  to 
burn  as  anthracite  or  charcoal  burns,  until  all  the  combustible  mat¬ 
ter  is  consumed,  and  a  small  remainder  of  earthy  matter  in  the 
form  of  ashes  is  left.  Messrs.  Williams  &  Moss,  analytical  chem¬ 
ists,  of  this  city,  made  a  careful  analysis  of  a  specimen  of  Raton 
Mountain  coal  with  the  following  result: 


10 


THE  ELLSWORTH  AND  PACIFIC  RAIL  ROAD. 


Moisture  at  212  Fahrenheit 
Sulphur  -  . 

Volatile  matter 
Fixed  carbon  - 
Ash  - 


100.00 

This  coal,  it  will  be  perceived,  is  remarkably  free  from  sulphur ; 
it  is,  therefore,  admirably  adapted  to  the  smelting  and  working  of 
iron,  with  extensive  mines  of  which  in  New  Mexico,  and  also  in 
Northern  Colorado,  it  is  in  immediate  contiguity.  But  of  the  coal 
in  the  latter  locality  we  have  seen  no  analysis.  For  the  smelting 
of  iron  ore  it  must  be  used  in  a  raw  state,  as  is  largely  and  suc¬ 
cessfully  done  with  the  semi-bituminous  coal  of  the  Shenango  and 
Mahoning  valleys  in  Western  Pennsylvania  and  Eastern  Ohio. 
Ihis  New  Mexican  coal,  although  not  even  semi-bituminous,  is 
shown  by  the  above  analysis  to  contain  all  the  constituents  of  a 
first  rate  fuel. 


4.74 

.16 

37.20 

53.90 

4.00 


•0- 


RESOXJRCES  OF  NEW  MEXICO  AND 
ARIZONA. 


The  character  and  resources  of  these  great  territories  are  but 
little  known.  The  mineral  wealth  lying  hidden  in  the  New  Mexi¬ 
can  mountains  is  unbounded.  The  agricultural  and  pastoral 
character  of  the  territory  is  already  established.  Let  us  examine 
for  one  moment  its  condition,  as  exhibited  by  the  census  of  1860. 
The  total  white  population  then  was  82,979.  The  Puebla  (civil¬ 
ized)  Indians  numbered  10,452,  and  their  85  negroes,  making  a 
total  of  93,516,  to  which  must  be  added  about  19,910  Indians, 
maintaining  their  tribal  relations,  and  presumably  under  the  care 
of  the  Indian  Bureau.  This  will  give  a  total  population  of  1 13,426, 
Since  1860,  the  territorial  boundaries  have  been  changed  by  the 
organization  of  Arizona,  but  the  population  of  the  older  territory 
cannot  now  be  loss  than  120,000,  and  is  probably  nearer  150,000. 
The  population  between  1850  and  1860  increased  from  61,000  to 
93,00  so  that  our  estimates  are  not  extravagant. 

The  subjoined  table  will  give  some  idea  of  the  material  and  social 
condition  of  New  Mexico,  as  shown  by  the  census  of  1860 : 


THE  ELLSWORTH  AND  PACIFIC  RAIL  ROAD. 


11 


Occupied  lands,  acres, .  1,326,470 

Improved,  acres, . 149,415 

Unimproved,  acres, . -  1,177,055 

Farm  implements,  value, . $194,005 

Horses  and  mules,  number, . 11,255 

Milk  cows,  number, .  34,461 

Oxen,  number, . 26,104 

Other  cattle,  number, .  29,228 

Sheep,  number,  .......  836,459 

Wool,  product,  lbs, .  479,245 

Wine,  product,  gals, . 8,201 

Flour  and  meal,  value,  .....  $374,190 

Copper,  zinc  and  nickle, . $415,000 

Capital  invested, . $2,081,900 

Assessed  value  of  real  and  personal  property  -  $20,838,780 


It  will  be  seen  upon  a  comparison  of  these  statistics  with  those 
of  other  Territories  and  States,  that  New  Mexico  was  in  advance 
of  some  States  long  settled  and  highly  civilized.  The  number  of 
sheep  in  that  Territory  exceeded  the  number  in  any  State  of  the 
Republic,  excepting  only  the  States  of  California,  Indiana,  Ken- 
tucky,  Michigan,  Missouri,  New  York,  Ohio,  Pennsylvania  and 
Virginia )  and  the  whole  product  was  greater  than  in  any  one  of 
fifteen  northern  States. 

These  statistics  reveal  the  important  fact  that  New  Mexico,  un¬ 
like  regions  in  the  same  longitude  but  of  higher  latitude,  is  already 
an  agricultural  and  grazing  country  of  no  small  importance. 

They  show,  moreover,  that  its  inhabitants  mainly  comprise  a 
fixed  population  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  If  the  growth 
of  the  Territory,  since  it  became  an  American  possession,  has  not 
been  so  rapid  as  some  others,  it  has  been  at  the  same  time  more 
healthy. 

The  agricultural  resources  of  the  Territory  have  greatly  increased 
since  1860.  A  large  proportion  of  the  mining  population  to  the 
north  and  west  of  it,  in  Colorado  and  Arizona,  have  been  fed  from 
the  flour  of  Mexican  wheat. 

It  is  considered  a  fine  fruit  growing  region,  and'  probably  the 
oldest  wine-producing  district  in  America  is  that  in  the  valley  of 
the  Rio  Grande,  where  the  Pueblo  Indians  made  the  El  Pa^o  wine 
for  many  years  by  the  most  primitive  process.  This  wine  has  a 
certain  excellence,  and  finds  a  ready  market. 

In  the  Dei  Norte  Valley,  New  Mexico,  there  are  400  square  miles, 
or  256,000  acres  under  grape  culture,  and  it  is  estimated  that  58,- 
000,000  gallons  of  wine  are  made  there  annually. 

With  regard  to  its  marvelous  mineral  wealth,  there  can  be  but 
little  doubt.  We  have  collected  some  of  the  facts  bearing  on  this, 
and  herewith  present  them.  Col.  Doniphan’s  expedition,  twenty- 
five  years  ago,  reported  that  gold  was  found  to  a  large  extent  in 


12 


THE  ELLSWORTH  AND  PACIFIC  RAIL  ROAD. 


huntermilef118  “7  ^  Pe’  S0Uth  to  a  di9‘aa00  of  about  on< 
hundred  miles,  or  as  far  as  Gran  Quivera,  and  north  for  about  on, 

oatthl  auW“ty  mile9’ t0  th°  riv6r  SanSre  de  Cristo.  Through 
out  this  whole  region  gold  dust  was  then  abundantly  found  by  £ 

CsW  fT  °f  f7Cr  Wh°  °CC"P-d  themseies  wlt^ti: 

ng  of  this  metal  in  the  mountain  streams,  while  at  the  Placer 

r  ,m  s*“ 

was  worked.  These  statements  are  confirmed  by  a  message  m 

discovery  ot  th’  ^ellV®^ed  “  DeO0mber,  1866,  who  also  reports  the 
.  7  t-  lrty  °des  of  gold-bearing  quartz  at  Pinos  Altos 

p,  ling  from  forty  to  two  hundred  dollars  per  ton  ;  of  quartz  veins 
at  San  Jose,  in  the  Sierra  Madre,  intersecting  each  other  in  all 
directions  for  a  mile  in  width  and  three  miles  in  length  •  of  a  1 

iLSrSTta?  T““;  "d  -  p'““, 

sizrrrr  *** d~~.  «  **.  L  r,™ 

the  most  abundant  mineral  of  the  Territory.  Lodes  of  silver  with 

the  77  C07Ttl0ne'  are  ver^  ^"merous.  He  thinks  it  will  be 

ats7  Pr  t,6  h  °f  mining  “  that  reSioni  and  enumer- 
ates  as  prominently  argentiferous,  the  districts  of  the  Placer  moun- 

andtheT  77  ^  0rSaD  m0U“tains  Dear  tbe  M0siUa  valley, 

ities  t  ^  l  “ear  P“0S-  The  fir9t  and  la9t  of  local 

dies,  are,  as  we  have  seen,  gold  producing,  also.  In  the  Organ 

mountains  over  fifty  silver  mines  have  been  discovered.  There  is 

a  belt,  or  series  of  veins,  containing  six  principal  veins  and  many 

in7idthoner7  T larger  veiDS  varying  from  two  t0  me™ 

son”  mine.  °  ^  aigeSt  °f  th6Se  V6mS  “ the  ce!ebrat0d  “Stephen- 

.  Tbe  country  bordering  on  the  north  portion  of  Chihuahua  is  a 
Jic  si  vei  istriet.  Immediately  adjoining  the  new  Mexican 
boundary  are  the  mines  of  “  Corralitos,”  the  most  successful  silver 

inTre“  6  7°  °f  Cbihuahua'  ba™S  been  mined  for  forty  years 
m  a  region  most  exposed  to  Indian  hostility. 

believed  todb  AriZ°na’7WlliCh  W&S  firSt  applied  to  this  S00tion)  is 

leaZ  ”  witVT?  ,  “  Indianwordi  tiffing  “  silver 

Colorado  The  7  *  “  7  ^  Ei°  6rande> the  Gila  a“d  tb0 

Coloracio.  The  last  named  is  undoubtedly  navigable  for  many 

hundred  miles.  The  valley  of  the  Gila  was,  a  century  since  the  seal 

0  a  large  number  of  Jesuit  missions  and  the  center  of  an  active 

S-aZn  o°  ApaCh0  IndiaM  haV°  deatr°P0d  much  of  this 
civihza.,ion  On  a  map  prepared  in  1757  over  forty  towns  are 

shown.  these  were  on  the  upper  and  lower  Gila,  the  San  Pedro 
Salinas,  and  other  streams.  A  dozen  and  more  large  and  wealthy 


THE  ELLSWORTH  AND  ‘PACIFIC  RAIL  ROAD.  1 3 

missions  were  in  existence.  More  than  a  hundred  gold  and  silver 
nines  were  worked  by  the  Jesuits  and  Spaniards.  The  cruelties 
und  slavery  practiced  by  the  Spaniards  against  the  Indians,  finally 
caused  the  destruction  of  all  this  wealth  and  prosperity,  and  made 
the  region  what  it  now  is. 

With  regard  to  the  capacities  of  this  region  to  sustain  a  large 
population— agriculture  being  aided  by  irrigation— there  is  indubi¬ 
table  evidence.  Hon.  J.  R.  Bartlett,  the  head  of  the  Mexican 
Boundary  Commission,  says  of  the  “Salinas,”  one  of  the  northern 
branches  of  the  Gila,  that  it  alone  will  supply  food  for  a  great  State. 
Captain  Whipple,  in  his  Pacific  Railroad  exploration  report,  de¬ 
clares  that  the  region  watered  by  the  Rio  Yerde  and  Salinas  (both 
of  which  are  in  Hew  Mexico)  “bears  every  indication  of  being  able 
to  support  a  large  agricultural  and  pastoral  region.”  The  great 
wealth  of  this  whole  region  must,  however,  continue  in  its  vast 
mineral  resources,  of  which,  what  is  known,  is  but  a  forerunning 
shadow  of  what  will  be  known  when  railroads,  numbers,  activity 
and  enterprise  open  all  this  vast  region  to  the  vigorous  Anglo- 
Americans. 

We  have  spoken  somewhat  of  the  mineral  wealth  of  Chihuahua, 
and  now  refer  to  the  resources  of  Sonora.  This  Mexican  State,  for 
the  most  part,  is  mountainous,  watered  by  several  rivers,  and 
abundant  in  mineral  wealth.  There  is  a  sufficiency  of  agricultural 
land  to  feed  a  large  population,  but  its  riches  consist  in  the  gold 
and  silver  mines  and  its  facilities  for  stock  raising.  In  spite  of  all 
disadvantages,  Sonora,  even  now,  exports  several  millions  in  the 
shape  of  silver  bars  and  gold  dust,  large  quantities  of  stock  to  Ari¬ 
zona  and  California,  and  flour  to  Cinaloa. 

Gold  quartz  and  dust,  silver  ores,  copper,  iron,  lead,  and  a  score 
of  other  metals,  are  found  abundantly  in  Sonora.  In  a  mineral 
point  of  view  it  equals  the  richest  of  countries.  The  climate  is 
good.  Two  crops  are  raised  off  the  same  land  each  year.  Wheat, 
maize,  beans,  peas,  &c.,  are  generally  cultivated.  Sugar  cane  of 
good  quality  is  also  planted,  and  makes  excellent  returns.  Cotton 
is  sown  in  several  districts.  This  State  has,  by  its  remoteness  and 
other  causes,  suffered  less  than  the  lower  States  of  Mexico.  This 
is  the  case  also  with  Chihuahua. 

The  great  results  to  be  achieved  by  any  enterprise  which  shall 
open  up  the  vast  natural  wealth  of  Northern  and  Central  Mexico, 
can  be  estimated  when  it  is  remembered  that  in  1803,  Humboldt 
estimated  the  returns  of  the  Mexican  silver  mines,  from  the  time  of 
the  Spanish  conquest  to  that  date,  to  have  amounted  to  the  enor¬ 
mous  sum  of  $2,027,855,000,  or  more  than  twobillions  of  dollars. 


14  THE  ELLSWORTH  AND  PACIFIC  RAIL  ROAD. 

A  French  savant  connected  with  the  Imperial  Mexican  army  of 
occupation,  declared,  after  a  thorough  examination  of  three  mining 
districts  in  Chihuahua,  that  the  district  spoken  of  was  full  of  vast 
deposits  of  silver  ore ;  that  there  was  a  mother  mountain  in  them 
fi  om  which  the  metal  radiated  in  all  directions,  growing  less  rich 
according  to  its  distance  from  the  center.  One  district  in  Chihua¬ 
hua  was  worked  as  early  as  1705.  Its  produce  up  to  1737  was 
$55,959,750.  From  that  time  up  to  1791  it  exceeded  forty-four 
millions— a  total  of  one  hundred  millions  in  eighty-six  years.  The 
district  possessed  at  the  last  date,  a  population  of  six  thousand, 
with  one  hundred  and  eighty  smelting  furnaces,  and  seventy-three 
haciendos  for  reducing  metal.  Among  the  ores  found  in  the  Sierra 
Madre  and  on  the  Pacific  coast,  may  be  enumerated  gold,  silver, 
copper,  antimony,  manganese,  lead,  iron,  arsenic,  tin,  zinc,  bismuth, 
molybdenum,  chromium  tellurium,  mercury,  nickel,  and  cobalt.  Of 
the  non-metalic  minerals,  are  marble,  alabaster,  sulphate  of  lime, 
carbonate  of  lime,  kaolin,  pipe  clay,  fuller's  earth,  sulphur,  borax, 
fire  clay,  soapstone,  asbestos,  petroleum,  asphaltum,  salt,  alum, 
emery,  coal,  and  plumbago,  while  an  abundance  of  building  mate¬ 
rial  is  of  course  found  everywhere.  All  varieties  of  the  richest 
and  most  valuable  precious  stones  are,  it  is  known,  to  be  found  in 
all  this  region,  through  which  the  new  and  old  Mexican  portions 
of  the  projected  road  will  pass.  Before  entering  the  Territory  of 
the  Mexican  Republic,  the  projected  road  will  undoubtedly  open  up 
that  portion  of  the  Territories  of  Hew  Mexico  and  Arizona,  of 
which  the  larger  portion  is  commonly  known  as  the  "  Gadsden 
Purchase." 


MEMORIAL. 

To  the  Honorable  Members  of  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives 
in  Congress  assembled,  Washington,  D.  C.: 

The  undersigned,  citizens  of  the  town  of  Ellsworth  and  vicinity, 
State  of  Kansas,  respectfully  present  for  your  consideration,  and 
solicit  your  earnest  attention  to  the  following  facts  and  observa¬ 
tions  in  relation  to  the  proposed  change  of  route  of  the  Union 
Pacific  Railway,  Eastern  Division,  through  Hew  Mexico  to  the 
Pacific  ocean. 

That  the  consideration  of  the  question  of  making  a  change  in 
the  route  of  the  road  above  mentioned,  from  the  line  adopted 
under  the  last  act  of  Congress,  passed  July,  1866,  will  come  prom¬ 
inently  before  Congress  at  the  present  session,  we  take  for  granted. 
And  in  view  of  this  question  and  the  developments  of  the  last  two 


THE  ELLSWORTH  AND  PACIFIC  RAIL  ROAD.  16 

seasons,  as  effecting  the  progress  of  the  two  lines  of  railway 
across  the  plains,  the  wisdom  of  making  the  Union  Pacific  Eail- 
way,  E.  D.,  an  independent  central  Pacific  railway  across  the  con¬ 
tinent  by  way  of  New  Mexico,  seems  clearly  to  have  been  estab¬ 
lished,  under  these  convictions  we  would  respectfully  call  your  at¬ 
tention  to  a  few  of  the  most  prominent  facts. 

The  Union  Pacific  Eailroad,  running  from  Omaha  up  the  Platte 
Valley,  is  now  built  and  running  a  long  distance  west  of  the  west¬ 
ern  terminus  of  the  Union  Pacific  Eailway,  E.  D.,  and  it  does  not 
seem  advisable  to  continue  the  present  line  of  the  Kansas  branch 
to  the  vicinity  of  Denver,  and  thence  go  northward  to  connect 
with  the  Platte  Valley  road,  on  the  meridian  established  by  the 
last  act  of  Congress  regulating  the  question.  And  again,  in  con¬ 
sideration  of  the  facts  to  which  your  attention  will  be  hereinafter 
called,  it  seems  still  less  advisable  to  continue  the  line  towards 
Denver,  if  the  proposed  change  of  route  towards  New  Mexico  is 
to  be  finally  made.  The  wisdom  of  which  course,  we  trust,  will 
be  clearly  apparent,  from  the  following  statements. 

We  thoroughly  believe,  from  the  information  we  have  been  able 
to  gather  from  an  extended  and  long  study  of  the  subject,  and  as 
we  believe  the  reports  of  surveys  and  maps  on  file  in  Washington 
will  demonstrate,  that  a  route  to  the  Pacific  by  way  of  New  Mexi¬ 
co  is  far  more  feasible  and  practicable  than  one  more  northerly ; 
that  it  can  be  built  cheaper,  in  a  briefer  period  of  time,  and  can  be 
more  continuously  used  throughout  the  entire  year,  than  the  route 
to  be  built  by  way  of  the  Black  Hills  and  Bridgets  Pass,  or 
any  other  route  across  the  Eocky  Mountains ;  but  whether  this  be 
so  or  not,  the  topographical  surveys  and  reports  show  that  a  Jine 
of  railway  via  New  Mexico  is  a  practicable  and  direct  one,  and 
that  it  is  a  more  central  line  of  communication  between  the  At¬ 
lantic  States  and  the  Pacific  ocean  than  any  other. 

But  to  look  no  further  than  the  establishment  of  a  railroad  con¬ 
nection  with  New  Mexico,  the  change  of  route  would,  as  we  be¬ 
lieve,  be  a  wise  and  profitable  one.  The  Union  Pacific  Eailway, 
E.  D.,  has,  so  far  as  completed,  we  believe,  already  paid  the  com¬ 
pany  in  a  very  encouraging  manner,  and  has,  as  we  have  been  in¬ 
formed,  more  than  paid  the  interest  on  the  Government  bonds,  and 
this,  notwithstanding  it  is  continually  reaching  farther  and  farther 
into  an  arid,  desert  country. 

In  view,  therefore,  of  the  foregoing,  and  in  consideration  of 
other  facts  worthy  of  your  serious  attention,  we  would  state  that 
Ellsworth  is  on  the  very  western  verge  of  the  arable  region  of 
lands  in  the  present  direction  of  the  Union  Pacific  Eailway,  E.  D.; 


16 


THE  ELLSWORTH  AND  PACIFIC  RAIL  ROAD. 


towards  Denver,  a  short  distance  west  of  this  place,  the  country 
is  entirely  unfit  for  agricultural  purposes,  and  deficient  in  capacity 
for  supporting  a  population  and  offers  little  or  no  inducements  to 
settlers.  There  is  no  valley,  properly  speaking,  to  the  Smoky 
Hill  Fork  as  is  the  case  on  the  Arkansas  river,  which  rises  in  the 
mountains  and  is  a  much  more  considerable  stream.  Up  the  line 
of  the  Smoky  Hill  River  the  true  “Great  American  Desert  ”  be¬ 
comes  no  mere  figure  of  speech,  but  an  active  reality.  The  coun¬ 
try  for  fifty  (50)  or  eighty  (80)  miles  is  composed  of  a  hard  baked 
loam,  caused  by  the  dry  and  continuous  winds  and  the  periodical 
fires  that  for  a  thousand  seasons  have  swept  over  its  surface ;  be¬ 
yond  this  a  tract  of  some  two  hundred  miles  of  veritable  desert,  an 
immense  area  of  sand,  barren  of  timber,  and  almost  so  of  water; 
which,  drifting  and  changing,  in  the  almost  unceasing  wind,  makes 
changes  in  the  surface  of  the  country  almost  as  great  as  those  that 
are  related  of  the  Saharah.  As  an  instance,  we  mention  the  well 
known  fact  that  on  the  site  of  the  famous  Sand  Creek  massacre, 
between  the  Smoky  Hill  and  the  Arkansas  rivers,  some  two  hun¬ 
dred  miles  west  of  this,  no  trace  can  now  be  found  of  the  battle 
there  fought,  or  of  the  camp.  In  fact,  the  exact  spot  can  no  longer 
be  identified,  the  site  being  now  entirely  covered  from  view  by  the 
waves  of  sand  which  have  settled  over  it.  The  region  of  country 
mentioned  is  nearly  devoid  of  timber  and  verdure,  except  in  isolated, 
low  places,  and  any  object,  like  a  railway  track,  that  is  fixed  forms  a 
nucleus  for  the  sand  to  gather  about  until  it  becomes  a  mound. 
The  cost  of  the  one  item  of  keeping  the  track  clear  of  the  drifting 
sand  in  that  region  of  country,  will  of  itself  be  no  inconsiderable 
item  of  expense.  This  state  of  things  is  worse  on  the  route  that  has 
been  discussed,  from  Pond  Creek  to  the  Arkansas,  than  elsewhere, 
but  if  to  avoid  this  sandy  desert  the  line  of  railway  is  continued 
up  the  Smoky  Hill  Yalley,  or  as  at  present  located,  on  the  dividing 
ridge  between  the  Smoky  Hill  and  Saline  rivers  which,  at  Pond 
Creek,  is  about  twenty-eight  miles  north  of  the  Smoky  Hill,  it 
would  necessarily  have  to  be  extended  to  the  table  lands  between 
the  Smoky  Hill  and  the  streams  which  run  westwardly  to  the 
Platte,  Cherry  Creek  and  others,  thence  to  the  Arkansas.,  to  reach 
which,  a  detour  of  nearly  one  hundred  miles  would  be  necessary. 

The  object,  therefore,  of  this  memorial  is  to  propose  a  route  that 
will  avoid  the  difficulties  mentioned,  and  we  ask  your  attention  to 
the  following  facts,  trusting  they  will  be  of  sufficient  importance 
for  your  valuable  consideration. 

Unlike  the  Smoky  Hill,  the  Arkansas  river  has  a  broad  and  fertile 
valley,  true  there  is  the  same  scarcity  of  rain  as  on  the  Smoky  Hill, 


THE  ELLSWORTH  AND  PACIFIC  RAIL  ROAD. 


17 


but  the' feasibility  of  making  lands  productive  by  a  system  of  irri¬ 
gation  has  so  far  proved  successful  that  advantages  have  been 
taken  of  the  same,  so  that  on  the  upper  portion  of  the  Arkansas 
there  can  be  seen  hundreds  of  fertile  and  productive  farms,  reach¬ 
ing  from  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Lyon  to  the  mountainous  districts. 
This  we  mention  to  show  the  character  of  the  country  through 
which  the  line  of  railway  would  pass,  if  built  on  th  e  route  to  be 
hereinafter  mentioned.  Again,  the  scarcity  of  wood  on  the  Smoky 
Hill,  (and  this  is  no  unimportant  item)  is  an  established  fact,  it 
has  but  few  and  inconsiderable  streams  as  tributares  ;  west  of  Fort 
Hays  it  is  but  a  sandy  run,  while  on  the  other  hand,  the  Arkansas 
for  near  its  entire  length  has  more  or  less  timber,  the  upper  portion 
being  very  heavily  timbered,  it  is  somewhat  similar  to  the  Platte? 
both  having  their  sources  in  the  mountains.  The  tributaries  of  the 
Arkansas  are  numerous  and  most  of  them  are  heavily  timbered — 
sufficiently  so  to  furnish  crossties  and  wood  for  the  building  and 
consumption  of  a  road,  these  tributaries  have  fine  and  fertile  valleys 
and  would  afford  homes  for  a  large  and  numerous  population,  which 
would  ultimately  prove  a  source  of  revenue  to  a  road  built  through 
the  country. 

We  would,  therefore,  ask  that  in  the  event  of  the  proposed 
change  of  route  of  the  Union  Pacific  Pailway,  Eastern  Division, 
southwesterly  byway  of  Santa  Fe,  Hew  Mexico,  to  the  Pacific 
ocean,  that  the  initiatory  point  of  divergement  be  from  Ellsworth^ 
this  being  the  most  southerly  point  on  the  line  of  the  road;  it  is 
but  three  and  one  half  miles  from  Fort  Harker,  the  most  import¬ 
ant  military  post  on  the  western  frontier.  The  distance  from 
Ellsworth  to  Zarah,  at  present  an  important  post,  is  but  forty 
miles,  a  line  of  railway  thence  up  the  valley  of  the  Arkansas  to 
Fort  Lyon,  would  afford  communication  for  the  supply  of  Forts 
Larned,  Dodge,  Lyon,  Union  and  a  large  number  of  important 
posts  south  of  the  Arkansas  in  the  Indian  Territory.  A  line  of 
road  diverging  at  Pond  Creek  or  further  west,  would  not  only  be 
more  circuitous,  but  more  expensive  to  build,  and  would  cut  off  the 
more  important  military  posts  of  the  frontier.  We  also  conclude 
that  under  recent  treaty  stipulations  with  the  Kiowas  and  Coman¬ 
che  Indians,  the  Government  will  place  these  tribes  upon  reserva¬ 
tions  south  of  the  Arkansas  river,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  still 
other  tribes  will  eventually  be  induced  to  settle  upon  reservations 
selected  by  them  for  the  Government,  south  of  the  river. 

The  Government  would,  under  the  above  mentioned  circum¬ 
stances,  have  always  at  its  disposal  a  line  of  railway  for  the  trans¬ 
mission  of  munitions  of  war,  mails  and  troops,  and  the  large 
2 


18 


THE  ELLSWORTH  AND  PACIFIC  RAIL  ROAD. 


amount  of  supplies  required  for  the  keeping  up  of  a  line  of  fron¬ 
tier  posts,  and  also  for  forwarding  the  tools,  utensils  and  machinery 
with  the  annuities  of  the  several  tribes  with  whom  we  are  at 
peace. 

Again,  the  building  of  a  line  of  railway  up  the  Valley  of  the 
Arkansas,  thence  through  the  Raton  Pass  to  Santa  Fe,  would  not 
only  develop  and  throw  into  market  a  large  and  fertile  portion  of 
the  country  which,  in  productiveness  and  climate,  would  invite  a 
large  and  thrifty  population,  thus  forming  a  frontier  protection 
from  the  ravages  of  hostile  and  depredating  bands  of  Indians,  but 
it  would  also  develop  the  vast  mineral  resources  of  a  portion  of 
country  hitherto  but  little  known.  It  has  been  proven  by  the  pre¬ 
liminary  surveys  lately  made  in  this  direction,  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Union  Pacific  Railway  Company,  E.  D.,  that  the  entire 
country  almost,  abounds  in  mineral — copper,  silver,  gold,  iron,  coal 
and  gypsum  being  found  in  unlimited  quantities.  The  timber  also 
is  described  as  being  far  more  valuable.  In  order,  therefore,  to 
reach  this  section  of  country,  which  affords  so  great  a  field  for  the 
employment  of  capital,  the  shortest  and  most  direct  route  should 
be  pursued,  provided,  always,  that  such  route  be  found  practicable. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  a  road  should  diverge  at  Pond  Creek  or  at 
some  point  west  of  it,  the  line  will  have  to  pass  through  a  sterile, 
desert  plain  of  some  ninety  miles,  devoid  of  timber,  verdure  or 
water,  unfit  for  agricultural  purposes,  or  even  for  grazing — having 
nothing  in  fact  to  invite  settlement,  which  would  not  only  make 
this  section  of  country  unproductive  pecuniarily  to  a  road,  but 
tend  to  embarrass  it,  to  an  extent  not  appreciated.  Besides  this, 
the  line  from  Ellsworth,  that  being  the  most  southerly  point  on  the 
line  already  completed,  would  be  comparatively  free  from  the 
stoppages  and  delays  incident  to  a  more  northerly  route,  during 
the  winter  season,  from  snow  ;  and  this  of  itself  should  be  a  con¬ 
sideration  of  the  utmost  importance  to  Government,  having  so 
wide  and  extended  a  frontier  to  protect,  requiring  a  line  of  commu¬ 
nication  that  is  practicable  at  all  seasons  of  the  year. 

Subjoined,  we  furnish  an  outline  map,  showing  the  line  as  now 
built,  as  proposed  from  Pond  Creek,  and  as  proposed  from  Ells¬ 
worth.  A  survey  is  now  being  made  from  Ellsworth  to  Zarah, 
showing  the  feasibility  of  crossing  the  divide  between  the  Smoky 
Hill  and  the  Arkansas,  no  survey  being  necessary  up  the  Arkansas 
to  Lyon,  the  vallej^  of  that  river  being  almost  a  dead  level.  Copies 
of  the  survey,  with  notes,  profiles  and  plats,  we  hope  soon  to  have 
the  honor  of  placing  before  you. 

Trusting  that  in  the  consideration  of  this  most  import  ant  subject 


THE  ELLSWORTH  AND  PACIFIC  RAIL  ROAD. 


19 


the  few  ideas  and  views  which  we  have  expressed  in  this  memorial, 
will  receive  a  careful  investigation  at  your  hands,  we  would,  in 
brief,  sum  up  as  follows : 

First,  the  object  of  the  Government  in  extending  aid  to  an  enter¬ 
prise  so  great  in  its  conception,  should  be  to  benefit  nqt  only  one 
section,  but  the  entire  country,  and  this  can  only  be  done  by  the 
selection  of  a  route  wThich  will  afford  the  quickest  and  most  reliable 
line  of  communication,  and  one  that  will  open  up  and  develop  the 
most  valuable  portions  of  its  territory. 

Second,  to  protect  itself  from  a  useless  expenditure  of  money  by 
aiding  only  such  lines  or  routes  which  will  afford  to  the  Govern¬ 
ment  the  greatest  facilities  for  the  transportation  of  its  stores  and 
materials  necessary  in  the  protection  of  its  frontier.  The  vast 
number  of  trains,  connected  with  and  used  by  the  Quartermaster’s 
Department,  necessary  in  the  moving  of  such  supplies  and  the  great 
expense  necessarily  contingent  to  this  mode  of  transportation 
being  one  of  the  most  important  items  of  expenditure,  by  the  War 
Department.  Any  plan  which  would  reduce  the  amount  of  this 
portion  of  the  Government  expense  should  meet  with  ready  en¬ 
couragement. 

Third,  the  distance  saved  by  a  line  of  road  on  the  route  as  pro¬ 
posed,  from  Ellsworth  to  the  Arkansas  river,  thence  up  the  valley 
of  the  same  to  Fort  Lyon,  and  thence  by  way  of  the  Eaton  Pass 
to  Santa  Fe,  would  be  in  the  item  of  freight  charges  alone  no  in¬ 
considerable  amount  to  the  Government. 

Fourth,  the  valley  of  the  Arkansas  running  as  it  does  for  over 
two  hundred  miles  in  the  direction  of  the  proposed  route,  with  a 
grade  almost  level ;  a  climate  unsurpassed  in  salubrity  ;  a  soil,  the 
richness  of  which  is  beyond  a  doubt,  affording  pasturage  for  thou- 
ands  of  cattle  and  homes  for  a  large  and  thrifty  population  which 
must,  in  a  short  time,  people  it,  we  therefore  hold  that  it  is  the  duty 
of  the  Government  to  afford  all  reasonable  protection  to  the  hardy 
pioneer  who,  leaving  behind  him  the  comforts  of  civilization,  at  the 
risk  of  life  ventures  into  the  heart  of  a  comparatively  unknown 
country,  and  by  his  toil  and  honest  industry  opens  up  new  fields  of 
labor  and  new  sources  of  wealth  and  revenue  to  the  Government. 

Fifth,  the  practicability  of  a  line  of  railway  by  the  route  above 
mentioned  can  be,  and,  in  our  opinion,  is  so  clearly  shown,  and  being 
one  that  from  its  southerly  position,  that  it  can  be  used  at  all  sea¬ 
sons  of  the  year,  makes  it  a  line  of  communication  of  so  much 
importance  that  it  should  receive  at  the  hands  of  the  Government, 
the  necessary  aid  to  construct  it.  The  recent  addition  of  teritory 
on  the  Pacific  coast  renders  it  an  all-important  and  vital  question, 


20 


THE  ELLSWORTH  AND  PACIFIC  RAIL  ROAD. 


that  a  line  of  intercommunication  be  established  between  the  At¬ 
lantic  and  Pacific  coast  at  the  earliest  practicable  moment.  Taking 
for  our  guidance  in  the  future  the  history  of  the  past,  we  know 
not  how  soon  the  use  of  such  a  road  may  be  required  by  the 
Government.  During  the  war  when  Rosecranz  was  almost  sur¬ 
rounded,  when  Bragg  was  reinforced  by  Longstreet  and  the  people 
almost  dreaded  to  hear  from  Tennessee,  the  utility  of  railway  over 
all  other  modes  of  transportation  was  made  manifest  by  the  move¬ 
ment  in  an  almost  incredible  space  of  time,  of  two  entire  army  corps 
**  under  Hooker  and  Howard,  from  the  army  of  the  Potomac  to  that 
of  the  Cumberland.  We  argue  that  if  in  no  other  way,  a  line  of 
road  could  be  built,  that  the  Government  should,  at  its  own  ex¬ 
pense,  build  and  equip  one  as  a  military  necessity. 

Trusting,  therefore,  that  our  memorial  will  receive  at  your  hands 
that  degree  of  consideration  which  is  due  to  a  subject  of  so  much 
and  so  great  importance. 

We  have  the  honor  to  be,  your  most  obedient  servants  and  pe- 
pitioners. 

Note.— The  route  as  now  proposed,  after  due  examination  and  inquiry, 
and  as  will  readily  be  seen  by  reference  to  any  authentic  map,  is  as  fol¬ 
lows:  From  Ellsworth  to  Arkansas  river  at  or  near  Fort  Zarah,  thence  up 
the  valley  of  that  stream  to  the  Cimmaron  Crossing,  twenty-seven  miles 
above  Fort  Dodge,  south  via  Camp  Nichols  to  Fort  Union  and  Alberquerque. 


■o- 


EXTRACTS  FROM  GOY.  MITCHELL'S  ANNUAL  MESSAGE. 


The  Company  propose  to  leave  the  Denver  branch  of  their  road 
at  Fort  Harker  or  Pond  Creek,  or  some  point  between  the  two, 
and  pass  over  to  the  Arkansas  River.  If  it  should  leave  the  Smoky 
Hill  river  at  or  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Harker,  I  am  satisfied  not 
only  that  it  will  very  materially  shorten  the  distance,  but  also  that 
it  can  be  built  to  the  boundary  line  of  this  Territory,  at  much  less 
cost.  The  ground  in  the  Arkansas  Yalley  is  especially  favorable 
for  its  construction,  and  the  country  along  that  river  is  susceptible 
of  greater  development,  than  any  other  portion  of  what  is  known 
as  “  the  plains." 


THE  ELLSWORTH  AND  PACIFIC  RAIL  ROAD. 


21 


I  am  informed  by  the  Chief  Engineer  who  made  the  survey  from 
Kansas  to  the  Kio  Grande,  (Gen.  W.  W.  Wright)  that  he  found  on 
the  surveyed  route  an  easy  grade,  plenty  of  water,  fuel,  and  every 
thing  necessary  to  build  the  road  and  run  it  after  completion, 
cheaply  and  successfully.  The  hand  of  divine  Providence,  in  the 
formation  of  this  country,  has  provided  carefully  for  the  wants  of 
our  people,  and  has  made  and  pointed  out  this  route  as  the  best 
from  one  ocean  to  the  other.  He  has  given  it  all  the  natural  facil¬ 
ities  to  make  it  the  most  advantageous  for  the  Government  and 
all  concerned. 

From  facts  demonstrated  by  the  present  survey,  as  well  as  those 
made  by  the  general  Government,  under  the  direction  of  Lieuts. 
Whipple,  Parke  and  others,  we  have  every  reason  to  believe  and  to 
know  that  at  a  very  early  day,  we  will  be  united  with  our  eastern 
and  western  neighbors  by  the  iron  bond  of  progress  extending  from 
the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  oceans. 


•0= 


LETTER  FROM  GOV.  CRAWFORD. 


State  of  Kansas,  Executive  Department,  | 
Topeka,  Nov.  27,  1867.  } 

The  projected  road,  of  which  you  speak,  I  regard  as  one  of  great 
importance  to  the  central  and  south-western  portions  of  this  State. 

That  country  must  necessarily  be  settled  up  and  developed.  No 
part  of  the  State  is  better  adapted  to  stock  growing  and  fruit.  It 
contains  coal,  salt,  gypsum,  &c.,  in  great  abundance,  and  will,  in 
my  opinion,  eventually  prove  excellent  for  producing  small  grain ; 
if  so,  it  is  susceptible  of  sustaining  an  immense  population,  which 
will,  of  necessity,  demand  a  road  for  their  own  accommodation. 

Your  project  fora  road  from  Ellsworth,  across  to  the  Arkansas, 
and  thence  in  a  westerly  direction  to  Santa  Fe,  is  certainly  a  fea¬ 
sible  one. 

Nothing  would  do  more  to  open  up  and  settle  all  south-western 
Kansas  than  this,  besides  the  great  advantages  it  would  be  to  Ells¬ 
worth  and  the  surrounding  country. 


22 


THE  ELLSWORTH  AND  PACIFIC  RAIL  ROAD. 


I  am  so  overran  with  other  business  that. I  may  not  be  able  to 
assist  you  in  this  enterprise  as  much  as  I  should,  but  whatever  I 
can  I  assure  you  I  will  do  most  cheerfully. 

Yours,  very  truly,  S.  J.  Crawford. 

Hon.  J.  H.  Edwards,  Ellsworth,  Kansas. 


LETTER  FROM  HON.  E.  G.  ROSS,  U.  S.  S. 


J.  H.  Edwards,  Esq.,  Ellsworth,  Kansas: 

The  view  you  present,  in  regard  to  the  divergence  of  the  road,  is 
certainly  a  very  strong  one,  and  if  the  matter  should  take  shape  so 
that  I  can,  I  shall  certainly  urge  it,  not  only  upon  the  company, 
but  upon  Congress,  when  their  application  for  additional  subsidy 
comes  up.  The  supply  of  the  Posts  along  the  Arkansas  would  be 
a  very  important  consideration  with  the  Government. 

On  the  other  hand,  however,  the  fact  of  the  company  already 
receiving  the  subsidy  to  Wallace,  would  probably  operate  against 
giving  it  over  an  additional  route  from  Ellsworth  up  the  Arkansas. 
I  had  not  thought  of  this  project  before,  but  will  earnestly  consider 
it,  and  if  possible  and  consistent,  will  urge  it. 

Yours,  &c.,  E.  G.  Ross. 


LETTER  FROM  HON.  SLDiNEY  CLARKE,  M.  C. 


Fortieth  Congress,  U.  S.,  | 

Washington,  L.  C.,  December  11,  1867.  j 


Gentlemen : 

Your  letter  of  the  3d  inst.,  enclosing  petition  to  Congress  for  aid 


THE  ELLSWORTH  AND  PACIFIC  RAIL  ROAD. 


23 


for  a  railroad  from  Ellsworth  south-west  to  New  Mexico,  came 
duly  to  hand. 

I  regard  your  proposed  road  with  great  interest,  as  I  see  at  once 
its  value  to  the  south-western  portion  of  our  State,  and  the  direct 
and  feasible  connection  it  would  form  between  Kansas  and  New 
Mexico  and  the  Pacific. 

I  will  present  the  papers,  and  will  do  all  I  can  to  aid  you  in  the 
enterprise.  The  question  will  be  properly  up  when  the  TJ.  P.  R.  R. 
Company,  E.  _D.  present  their  bill  for  action,  asking  for  the  exten¬ 
sion  of  their  road  through  New  Mexico  and  Arizona  to  the  Pacific 
ocean. 

With  sentiments  of  high  regard,  I  am,  gentlemen, 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

Sidney  Clarke. 

To  J.  H.  Edwards,  Geo.  Geiger,  James  Miller,  Geo.  W.  Hill, 
G.  W.  VauguiNj  and  others. 


REPORT  OF  CAPT.  A.  C.  PIERCE,  ENGINEER. 


Ellsworth,  Kansas,  January  16,  1868. 

To  Messrs.  J.  H.  Edwards ,  J.  W.  Vaughn,  James  Miller ,  G.  W. 

Hill,  and  J.  E.  Breitweiser,  Committee  on  Surveys : 

Gentlemen  : — I  send  you  herewith,  plat  and  profile  of  the  portion 
of  the  Ellsworth,  Santa  Fe  and  Pacific  R.  R.,  surveyed  last  month 
by  me  under  your  direction.  You  will  perceive  that  the  grades 
are  much  more  flattering  than  we  were  at  first  prepared  to  expect, 
especially  when  the  apparent  broken  face  of  the  country  immedi¬ 
ately  surrounding  Ellsworth  is  taken  into  consideration. 

Starting  from  a  point  immediately  south  of  the  water  tank  of 
the  Union  Pacific  Railway  on  the  south  side  of  the  Smoky  Hill 
River — that  being,  in  my  opinion,  the  best  place  for  constructing  a 
bridge — we  ran  a  tangent  lino  south-west  over  an  almost  level 
bottom  requiring  but  little  grading,  and  striking  Turkey  Creek‘S 
about  two  and  one-half  miles  from  its  mouth  ;  the  grade  here  com- 


24 


THE  ELLSWORTH  AND  PACIFIC  RAIL  ROAD. 


mences  to  ascend,  and  in  order  to  avoid  deep  cutting  and  fills,  I 
followed  the  general  course  of  the  creek.  This  line  will  necessitate 
the  crossing  of  the  creek  several  times ;  but  from  the  abundance  of 
timber  and  good  stone  suitable  for  culverts  and  abutments,  I  think 
it  would  be  preferable  to  the  heavy  grading  necessary  higher  up 
the  bluffs.  The  line  varies  but  little  from  a  south-west  direction, 
and  leaves  the  creek  about  five  and  one-half  miles  distant  from 
Ellsworth  ;  thence  up  a  ravine,  varying  from  one-half  to  one  mile 
in  width,  to  the  top  of  the  divide.  The  maximum  grade  being  75 
feet  to  the  mile,  and  that,  only,  on  the  last  rise  of  about  800  feet, 
the  grade  varies  from  an  average  of  28  feet  to  the  mile,  to  about 
45  feet  per  mile  ;  the  only  grade  above  that  being  on  the  four  last 
stations. 

The  practicability  of  crossing  the  divide  between  the  Smoky  Hill 
river  and  the  Arkansas,  by  easy  gradients,  has  thus  far  proved  suc¬ 
cessful.  The  surface  of  the  country,  over  which  the  line  was  run, 
being  but  little  broken  and  the  ascent  gradual.  The  entire  dis- 
tance  from  the  initial  point  to  the  top  of  the  divide  being  ten  miles. 
The  creek  bottom  is  well  timbered,  and  would  furnish  good  material 
for  trestle  bridges,  and  wood  for  consumption.  The  principal  rock 
is  a  brown  sand  stone,  sufficiently  firm  for  masonry.  The  soil  is 
similar  to  that  on  the  river  bottom,  a  rich  loam,  producing  grass  in 
great  abundance  and  of  an  excellent  quality. 

All  of  which  is  respectfully  submitted. 

A.  C.  Pierce, 

Civil  Engineer. 


REPORT 

OF  SURVEY  PARTY  UNDER  THE  DIRECTION  OF  THE 
“ELLSWORTH  &  PACIFIC  RAILWAY”  COMPANY. 


To  the  Committee  on  Survey  of  the  E.  &  P.  R.  TV.: 

The  subscribers  having  been  requested  by  your  committee  to 
make  a  preliminary  examination,  or  survey  of  the  route  of  the 


THE  ELLSWORTH  AND  PACIFIC  RAIL  ROAD. 


25 


proposed  line  of  railway,  from  the  terminus  of  the  survey  by  Capt. 
A.  C.  Pierce  at  a  point  on  the  dividing  ridge  of  the  Smoky  Hill 
and  Arkansas  rivers,  beg  leave,  respectfully,  to  report  that  we 
commenced  our  observations  at  the  last  post  as  established  by  Capt. 
Pierce,  and  thence  struck  across  towards  the  Arkansas  in  a  south¬ 
westerly  direction,  crossing  Plum  Creek  near  its  head,  and  so  on  to 
Cow  Creek  and  thence  to  the  bend  in  Walnut  Creek  near  the  new 
post  of  Fort  Zarah  just  completed. 

We  found  no  obstructions  on  the  whole  line,  with  a  remarkable 
easy  grade  on  the  entire  route;  the  whole  distance  from  the 
Smoky  Hill  River  to  the  point  named  on  Walnut  Creek,  not  ex¬ 
ceeding  thirty-six  miles,  through  what  appeared  to  us  a  beautiful 
region  of  fine  land,  particularly  so  as  we  came  near  the  bottoms 
of  the  Arkansas  river  and  Walnut  Creek. 

In  conclusion,  we  would  say  1  hat  we  are  unanimous  in  the  opinion 
that  no  better  or  more  feasible  route  can  be  found  for  a  railway 
anywhere  between  two  streams  so  considerable  as  the  Smoky  Hill 
and  Arkansas  rivers. 

All  of  which  is  respectfully  submitted. 

James  Miller, 
Henry  New, 

H.  F.  Hoesman. 


o- 


REVIEW  OF  A  PUBLICATION, 

BY  JOSIAH  COPLEY,  Esq. 

We  have  perused  with  much  pleasure  a  work  recently  published 
entitled  (l Kansas  and  the  Country  beyond,  on  the  line  of  the  U.  P. 
R.  W.,  E.  D.,”  by  Josiah  Copley,  Esq,  and  have  examined  the 
excellent  map  accompanying  it,  drawn  by  Mr.  Feeler,  of  the  In¬ 
dian  Bureau,  and  find  that  some  inaccuracies  occur ;  consequent, 
as  we  have  no  doubt,  upon  hearsay  evidence,  (his  personal  obser¬ 
vation  extending  only  as  far  as  Ellsworth)  in  some  cases  from 
interested  parties,  which  are  not,  as  we  have  had  occasion  from 
experience  to  know,  of  a  very  reliable  character. 


26 


THE  ELLSWORTH  AND  PACIFIC  RAILROAD. 


On  pages  29-30,  are  stated  opinions  in  regard  to  character  of  soil 
and  probable  productions,  so  inaccurate  as  to  require  only  simple 
facts  from  actual  observation,  to  controvert  them — some  of  which 
facts  we  propose  to  briefly  set  forth. 

On  page  62,  we  find  given  a  table  of  distances,  so  far  from  the 
truth  that  we  should  be  almost  inclined  to  suppose  it  a  typograph¬ 
ical  error,  but  for  the  footings. 

The  line  as  being  now  constructed,  bears  considerably  more 
northerly  than  is  indicated  on  the  map  by  Mr.  Keeler,  so  that,  at 
a  point  opposite  Fort  Wallace,  the  track  is  eighteen  (18)  miles  due 
north  from  the  Fort,  and  twenty-eight  (28)  miles  from  the  Smoky 
Hill  river;  and  from  the  end  of  the  track  to  Fort  Lyon,  on  the 
Arkansas  river,  is  fully  one  hundred  and  twenty  (120)  miles.  The 
distance  is  given  by  Mr.  Copley  as  sixty-five  (65)  miles  from  Pond 
^Creek  to  Fort  Lyon. 

The  route  of  road,  as  considered  by  Mr.  Copley,  runs  over  the 
Baton  Pass,  and  to  Santa  Fe,  a  route  less  practicable,  in  the  opin¬ 
ion  of  all  practical  men  who  have  frequently  traversed  the  country, 
and  far  less  direct  than  the  one  east  of  and  altogether  avoiding  the 
Baton  Mountain,  as  we  propose,  and  crossing  the  Rio  Grande  near 
Albuquerque.  The  reader  can  see  this  on  examination  of  the  map, 
commencing  at  Ellsworth,  thence  via  Forts  Zarah,  Larned  and 
Dodge,  to  a  point  on  the  Arkansas  river,  20  miles  west  of  the  last 
named  Fort,  where  the  wagon  road  crosses  the  river.  From  this 
point  the  line  bears  southwardly  towards  Camp  Nichols,  and  thence 
to  Fort  Union,  passing  not  through  the  Raton  Pass  but  to  the  east 
and  around  the  base  of  the  mountain,  as  before  stated,  and  so  by 
way  of  Albuquerque  through  New  Mexico  and  Arizona  to  the  Pa¬ 
cific  ocean. 

A  few  words  on  another  important  point — the  character  of  the 
country  between  Ellsworth  and  the  point  on  the  U.  P.  R.  W.,  E. 
D.,  where  the  subsidy  ends,  some  190  miles  west  of  here. 

At  Buffalo  Creek,  nine  miles  west  from  Ellsworth,  the  general 
character  of  the  country  changes.  Alkali  appearing  to  predomi¬ 
nate  more  largely  in  the  soil,  and  as  a  consequence  its  productive 
qualities  are  very  much  lessened. 

As  an  illustration  of  this,  we  refer  to  the  fact  that  in  the  section 
of  country  east  of  Buffalo  Creek,  within  an  area  of  15  miles  square, 
about  7,000  tons  of  hay  was  cut  and  stacked  the  past  season  ;  while 
west  of  it,  for  a  distance  of  180  miles,  scarcely  enough  hay  has 
been  found  to  supply  the  Overland  Stage  Co.  and  Fort  Wallace ; 
that  which  was  cut  being  obtained  at  great  cost,  and  being  of  an 
inferior  quality. 


THE  ELLSWORTH  AND  PACIFIC  RAIL  ROAD. 


27 


Fort  Hays,  68  miles  west  of  Ellsworth,  is  supplied  from  points 
east,  the  hay  being  first  baled,  and  transported  by  rail  at  great  ex¬ 
pense,  as  the  unfortunate  contractors  have  learned  to  their  cost. 

The  country  from  the  end  of  the  railwaj^,  across  to  Fort  Lyon, 
is  literally  a  barren  desert,  without  timber  or  water,  composed  of 
sand  which  drifts  about  like  snow  by  the  force  of  the  high  winds 
that  prevail  there  for  a  large  portion  of  the  year. 

On  the  route  proposed  from  Ellsworth,  after  crossing  Plum  Creek 
some  13  miles  distant,  fine  arable  land  is  found,  with  timber  on  the 
streams,  and  a  luxuriant  growth  of  grass  everywhere,  extending  to 
the  Arkansas  river.  Of  the  valley  of  the  Arkansas,  it  would  seem 
hardly  necessary  to  speak,  in  view  of  what  is  already  done  on  its 
upper  and  more  western  portion.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  it  bears 
every  evidence  of  being  susceptible  of  a  high  state  of  cultivation, 
capable  of  sustaining  a  large  population,  which  would  surely  follow 
the  sound  of  the  railway  whistle. 

To  sum  up,  then,  the  comparative  advantages  of  the  two  routes 
to  the  Arkansas  river,  requires  but  few  words  :  The  one  passes 
through  a  fine,  productive  and  fertile  country;  the  other  through 
a  region,  to  use  the  trite  language  of  the  renowned  Capt.  Cuttle, 
<c  On  the  contrary,  quite  the  rewarse.” 


■o- 


ACT  OF  INCORPORATION. 


THE  ELLSWORTH  &  PACIFIC  RAILROAD. 


We,  Samuel  J.  Crawford,  George  Geiger,  James  Miller,  John  H. 
Edwards/George  W.  Vaughn,  H.  F.  Hoesman,  Henry  New,  Geo. 
Wallace  Hill,  Charles  C.  Duncan,  Evander  Light,  J.  E.  Breitweiser, 
V.  B.  Osborn,  of  the  State  of  Kansas,  and  James  S.  Waterman,  of 
the  State  of  Illinois,  hereby  associate  ourselves  together  for  the 
purpose  of  constructing  and  operating  a  railroad  in  the  States  of 


28  THE  ELLSWORTH  AND  PACIFIC  RAIL  ROAD. 

Kansas  and  California,  and  the  Territories  of  New  Mexico  and 
Arizona,  under  the  provisions  of  an  act  of  the  Legislature  of  the 
State  of  Kansas,  entitled,  “An  act  to  provide  for  the  incorpora¬ 
tion  and  regulation  of  railroad  companies,”  approved  February 
13th,  A.  D.,  1865,  and  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  under  the 
provisions  of  said  act,  we  hereby  agree  and  certify,  as  follows  : 

First :  That  the  name  of  the  said  railroad  shall  be  the  “  Ells¬ 
worth  and  Pacific  Railroad,”  and  by  that  name  shall  be  called  and 
known. 

Second :  That  each  of  the  parties  above  named  as  corporators 
are  residents  of  the  State  of  Kansas  and  Illinois. 

Third :  That  we  propose  constructing  and  operating  said  rail¬ 
road  from  some  point  within,  or  near  the  town  of  Ellsworth  afore¬ 
said,  in  the  State  of  Kansas,  to  some  point  within  or  near  the  city 
of  San  Francisco,  in  the  State  of  California,  and  that  the  length 
ol  our  proposed  railroad  in  the  State  of  Kansas,  will  not  exceed 
two  hundred  miles. 

Fourth :  That  the  capital  stock  of  our  company  shall  be  two 
million  dollars  ($2,000,000)  to  be  increased  as  occasion  may  require. 

In  witness  whereof,  we  have  hereunto  signed  our  names,  the 
23d  day  of  January,  A.  D.,  1868. 

(Signed,)  Samuel  J.  Crawford,  George  W.  Vaughn, 

George  Geiger,  Geo.  Wallace  Hill, 

James  Miller,  H.  F.  Hoesman, 

J ohn  H.  Edwards,  V.  B.  Osborn, 

J.  E.  Breitweiser,  Charles  C.  Duncan, 

Henry  New,  James  S.  Waterman, 

Evander  Light. 


State  op  Kansas,  1 
County  of  Ellsworth .  j  ss* 

George  Geiger,  James  Miller,  John  H.  Edwards  and  Geo.  Wal¬ 
lace  Iliil  whose  names  are  subscribed  to  the  foregoing  statement 
and  certificate,  being  first  duly  on  oath,  state  that  said  statement 
and  certificate,  and  the  matter  therein  stated  for  the  organization 


THE  ELLSWORTH  AND  PACIFIC  RAILROAD. 


29 


of  “Ellsworth  and  Pacific  Railroad/'  Company  are  true  to  the 
best  of  their  knowledge  and  belief. 

(Signed,)  George  Geiger, 

James  Miller, 

John  H.  Edwards, 

Geo.  Wallace  Hill. 


State  of  Kansas,  ) 

County  of  Ellsworth .  j 

Be  it  remembered,  That  on  this  23d  day 
of  January,  A.  D.  1868,  personally  appeared  before  me,  the  under¬ 
signed,  a  Notary  Public  in  and  for  the  County  and  State  aforesaid, 
George  Geiger,  James  Miller,  John  H.  Edwards,  and  Geo.  Wallace 
Hill,  to  me  personally  known  to  be  the  identical  persons  whose 
names  are  subscribed  to  the  foregoing  instrument  of  writing,  and 
acknowledge  the  same  to  be  their  own  free  act  and  deed. 

In  witness  whereof,  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand  and  affixed  my 
notarial  seal,  the  day  and  year  last  above  written.- 

(Signed,)  J.  H.  Runkle,  N.  P, 


CONCLUSION, 


Among  the  arguments  we  have  presented  in  favor  of  our  road, 
has  been  its  importance  to  the  Government,  in  a  military  point  of 
view,  in  the  transportation  of  troops  and  supplies  at  greatly  reduc¬ 
ed  cost,  and  with  much  more  expedition  than  now.  We  have 
glanced  over  the  map  and  find  thirty  or  more  Forts  which  would 
draw  their  supplies  directly  from  the  proposed  road.  They  are 
as  follows : — Zarah,  Earned,  Dodge  and  Lyon,  Colorado ;  Reynolds, 
Garland,  Union,  Marcy,  Sumner,  Stanton,  Craig,  McRay,  Seldon, 


So 


THE  ELLSWORTH  AND  PACIFIC  RAIL  ROAD. 


Thorn,  Filmore,  West,  Bayard,  MeLaine,  Bowie,  Goodwin,  Grant, 
McDonald,  Yuma,  Whipple  and  Lyon,  New  Mexico  ;  Canby,  Win¬ 
gate,  Rock  Springs,  Mooave  and  Tejon.  To  these,  with  propriety, 
might  be  added,  for  the  present,  at  least,  many  posts  in  the  west¬ 
erly  portion  of  the  Indian  Territory,  Arkansas,  and  Texas,  now 
supplied  at  much  greater  cost  than  by  our  proposed  line. 

The  large  sums  expended  annually  for  transportation  to  these 
Forts,  can  be  ascertained  by  a  call  upon  the  Secretary  of  War,  for 
information,  which  would  be  a  strong  argument  in  favor  of  at  once 
proceeding  with  the  work. 

As  to  the  recent  discoveries  of  gold  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Raton 
mountains  of  a  very  promising  character,  we  have  said  nothing, 
but  have  become  aware  that  already  preparations  are  making  for 
a  large  immigration  for  the  purpose  of  developing  that  section  of 
country. 


\ 


